Maillard and Mile Aubray
Preserved but no longer current.
The procession was attended by the municipal officers and national guards, while troops of ballet girls carried "torches of truth"; and many apostate clergy stripped themselves of their canonicals, and, wearing red nightcaps, joined in this blas- phemous mockery. So did Julien of Toulouse, a Calvinistic minister. Such Feasts of Reason were held in various towns of France for several years after.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Maillard and Mile Aubray” mean?
The procession was attended by the municipal officers and national guards, while troops of ballet girls carried "torches of truth"; and many apostate clergy stripped themselves of their canonicals, and, wearing red nightcaps, joined in this blas- phemous mockery. So did Julien of Toulouse, a Calvinistic minister. Such Feasts of Reason were held in various towns of France for several years after.
Is “Maillard and Mile Aubray” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.